Joint construction



April 27, 1954 MLR pRlCE I JQINT CONSTRUCTION Filed June 26, 1948 F1 -3INVENTOR MANLEY R. Pmca ATTORNEY expensive equipment and skill. :m'ethodaims to provide a quickly operable, rattle andvibrationrproof.clipeonsystem not-requiring Patented Apr. 27, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE2,676,679 JOINTCONSTRUCTION Manley R. Price, Lakewood, Ohio ApplicationJune 26, 1948, Serial No. 35,392

1 The invention relates primarily to a simple and effective means forsecuring an elongated structural building element to another or similarelement, as in crossing relationship, thereby indicating the principalobject.

part of a suspended ceiling construction and acoustical treatmentembodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a full scale front view of one form of spring clip hereof;Fig. 3 is a similar view of the clip when operating to secure a nailingchannel to a carrying member, both shown;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the carrying member, clip and nailingchannel, as indicated on Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a side view of the clip in a form thereof adapted to be madefrom Wire stock (shown in mounted position); and 1 Fig. 6 is a frontview according to Fig. 5'with the carrier member shown diagrammatically.

Fig. '1 illustrates a portion of a carrying member' I of typical form,being one of a plurality of sheet metal channels such as may besupported from a roof structure or the like, not shown, as by lugs,brackets or wires. The acoustical treat- 'ment illustrated includesnailing ground channels 2 (one shown) to which paneling such aslaminated screw-holding board assemblies 3 may be attached as shown forexample in my Patent 2,242,884, May 20, 1941. Acoustical tile areadapted to be fastened to the paneling, a portion of one such tile beingshown at 4. 1 H

Members on the order of the nailing ground channels 2 are customarilysecured to carrying, .members such as l by wire tie devices, usuallytwisted tightly together at their ends. Another method is to weld'themembers together. Many forms of metalnclips have been devised for thepurpose but without displacing to any great extent the older buttimestaking method of wiring the members together. Welding demandsspecial The present 3 Claims. (Cl. .189-35),

special instruction or skill or auxiliary equipment or tools at the Worksite, thus indicating a further object.

The nailing ground channels 2, as shown, are inverted hemi-cylindricaltroughs 5, Figs. 3 and 4, with generally parallel outer side walls 5 andcontiguous, oppositely disposed, supporting flanges 1. Suitably attachedto or carried by the channels or troughs 5 (see Patent 2,160,794) arerods 8. The panel elements 3 are secured against the open sides of thechannels by nails I0 which are clinched about the rods 8 as illustratedparticularly in Figs. 3 and 4.

An improvement hereof in the nailing channels comprises making thechannels with transverse oblique or helical fiutes formed by transverserooves i l in the channel walls which insure that the points of thenails, as driven intothe channels, will be disaligned from the shanks soas to curl about the rods 8 in helical form as shown in Fig. 4.

The nails l D have flat shank portions l2, Fig. 4, relatively thincylindrical penetrating point portions l3 and thickened cylindricalshank portions l4 adjacent suitable heads I5.

The claimed subject matter hereof, as illustrated by Figs. 1 through 4,is embodied in spring clips 20 (one shown), each of which is made as asingle piece stamping of relatively light gage spring metalstock. Theclip will be described and claimed, for convenience only, in itsillustrated position or as connecting two structural members each ofwhich extends horizontally. Obviously the clip can be mounted in anyconceivable position depending upon the direction of extent of themembers (e. g. channels and 2 representative of already knownconstruction) connected by the clip.

The mainsupporting body of the clip icincludes the substantiallyimperforate and rectangular upper panel portion 2 l and short dependingflange 22 thereof. A central leg 23 depends from the panel 2! on theside thereof opposite the flange 22, and the lower end portion 24 of theleg is formed as. a double or compound curved spring tongue or claspextending generally parat 24:10, Fig. 4. The parts or portions of theclip thus far described form a generally C-shaped spring claspapproximately complementary to the carrying member I; and it may be herenoted that the; shapes and. proportions of said parts of verticalportion, may

the spring clasp may vary considerably in accord-- ance with the crosssectional shape of the carrying members to be accommodated. The hook,for example, formed as shown by the portions 2 I, 22 and 23 hasespecially to be shaped according to the cross sectional contour of theportion of the carrying member engaged thereby. The clip will fit I-beamtype and hollow rectangular box type carrying members withoutmodification except as to size.

At opposite sides of the vertical portion of the leg 23 and in theprincipal plane thereof are a pair of operatively identical latch arms25 and 28 adapted for snap-holding engagement with respective flanges Iof the nailing ground members 2. The normal or unstrained relationshipor position of the arms 25 and 26 is according to Fig. 2, their latchingor operating relationship to each other and the nailing ground flangesbeing illustrated in Fig. 3.

The latch arms 25 and 26 are preferably yieldably maintained in theirnormal somewhat converging relationship (Fig. 2) by slightly bowed orrelatively arched formations of the supporting panel 2| as at 2! and 28;and, since the shearedout slots 29 which define the inner or relativelyadjacent edges of the latch arms may be extended upwardly far enough tointersect the panel 2| (particular form illustrated), the arms can beswung apart in their own planes solely by slight deflection of the panelportions 21 and 28. Upwardly converging portions 30 of said inner edgesof the arms are positioned for camming engagement by the flanges I ofthe nailing ground members 2; and horizontal notches or throats 3| atthe upper limits of the camming edge portions 30 receive and stronglyretain said flanges I in spring strained engagement with the outer edgesthereof. The notches 3| are so located as freely to receive the flangesI when the member 2 is pressed against the lower flange of the carryingmember and such upward pressing requires a deflection of one of thebowed portions 24a or 24b (Fig. 4) of the spring tongue 24 in engagementwith the top surface of the associated channel 5, as evident bycomparison of Figs. 3 and 4. Thus, after the flanges l are seated intheir latching notches 3| of the various clips, the tongues 24 continueto press downwardly on the nailing ground members flanges 1 thereof tomake the construction rattle and vibration proof.

If the member to be supported by the clip 20 has coplanar flangesextending oppositely toward instead of away from each other, thenobviously the cam surfaces 35 and notches 3| would be placed on therelatively outward edges of the latch arms instead of their near edges.

If desired, the leg 23, which is vertically rigid with the top panel 2|of the clip as provision against movement in the principal plane of itsbe made wide enough at its bottom end to engage the inner surfaces ofthe side walls 6 of the nailing ground members as a key, further tostabilize the construction without interference with the free swingingmotion of the latch arms 25 and 26 as necessary in order to snap-lockthe nailing ground channels to the carrying members I In'mounting theclips and nailing ground channels, the upper panel and flange 2|, 22 ofeach clip is hooked over the upper flange of the associated carryingmember I and the lower clasping portion (tongue 24) is then sprung overthe lower flange, that operation being Iacilitated by centrally betweenthe engaged the curved spring portion 2% which due to the length of thetongue is deflected the necessary distance without causing localizedbending strain at any part of the supporting leg 23.

In latching the nailing ground members 2 to a series of clips, therecommended procedure is for the workman to grasp the first clip andmember 2 in one hand, pressing downwardly on the top panel 2| as withthe index finger of that hand in order to maintain the latching notches3| in flange-receiving position; and then first hooking one flange Iinto its latching notch 3| (both hands now holding the nailing groundand locally turning it about its axis as required), and finally pressingthe other flange I upwardly into latched position by swinging the member2 about the already notch-engaged flange as a fulcrum. The remainingclips can be similarly engaged since the nailing ground illustrated iscapable of being locally twisted the necessary amount where not alreadyfully anchored by a clip 20.

When the nailing ground or other secured members are of such stiffconstruction that they cannot be locally twisted, then only one of theclips of the series would be attached as described (by turning theground member about its axis to engage one notch 3| and then rotatingthe member to engage the other notch) and the rest of the clips would beengaged by the nailing ground member merely by a straight upward motionon part of said member while successively holding the clip panels 2|tightly against the top flange of the carrying member.

It is contemplated that the necessary spring effect on part of thelatching arms 25 and 26 can be secured other than by the swinging of thearms edgewise about supporting spring portions 21 and 28 of the clips.That may be accomplished by substituting for the camming edges 30 andnotches 3| upwardly converging spring lips (not illustrated) so directed(as at right angles to the principal planes of the arms) that the lipsmay serve as spring latching elements and guiding cams to receive thenailing ground flanges. Such a construction when made of sheet springstock necessarily lacks the compactness and resiliency of theillustrated arrangement described above.

The clips may be made of uniform section wire stock as shown by Figs. 5and 6 at I20 and have very much the same operating and mountingcharacteristics asdescribed in connection with Figs. 1-4, but atconsiderably greater expense for equivalent strength and stability. Fig.5 shows a central loop of the wire stock I24 formed to provide the lowerspring clasp (comparable to tongue 24) vertical stretches I23(corresponding to the depending leg 23) hook-forming loop portions I21and 22 for engagement with the top flange portion of the carrying memberof the form shown, and vertical spring arms I25 and I26 which carryupwardly converging free end portions I30 the top ends |3| of whichprovide latching shoulders comparable to those afforded by the loweredges of the notches 3|. Operation of the wire-formed clips is believedobvious from the description previously given in connection with thepreferred form.

Terms upwardly, horizontally, etc., whenused in the claims are forconvenience of definition,

' not as limitations.

versely positioned horizontally extending carrier channel disposed withits web vertical and its flanges horizontal; a. resilient metal clipcomprising a channel-shaped body wih a hooked top portion embracing thetop portion of the carrier channel and, therebelow, a relatively longerbottom portion in spring-clasping frictional engagement with the bottomof the carrier channel while the top portion of the clip is hooked overthe top of the carrier channel, said body having, at respective sides ofthe common vertical plane of the hooking and clasping portions thereofand close to the carrier member, two arms depending from the top portionof the body in spring latching engagement with the horizontal flanges ofthe first mentioned structural member, said arms, at their lower ends,beyond the bottom of the carrier member, having upwardly convergingcamming surfaces facing toward each other and terminating upwardly atgenerally horizontal latching shoulders in retaining engagement with thehorizontal flanges of the first described structural member.

2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein the bottom,spring-clasping portion of the clip has a cantilever spring portionextending beyond the lower flange of the carrier channel transverselythereof into yielding abutment with the first mentioned structuralmember so that the horizontal flanges of that member are maintainedforcibly to contact with the latching shoulders of the clip arms.

3. In building constructions: a horizontally extending structuralmember, having at its top side two substantially horizontal flangesextending in opposite directions from the member; a transverselypositioned horizontally extending carrier channel disposed with its webvertical and its flanges horizontal; a one piece resilient sheet metalclip comprising an upright body the carrier member on three sides, oneleg of the inverted U being extended downwardly close to and alongsidethe carrier channel in the form of two side-by-side elongated latchingarms spaced apart from each other in the principal vertical plane of thesheet metal of which the arms are formed, the lower ends of the armsextending beyond the lower limits of the carrier member, the lower endsof the latching arms, beyond the bottom of the carrier member, havingupwardly converging camming edge surfaces facing toward each other andterminating upwardly at generally horizontal latching shoulder inretaining engagement with the horizontal flanges of the first describedstructural member, the horizontal portion of the top of the clipproviding the necessary spring force to enable the arms to act as springlatches without requiring any flexure of the arms themselves.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 540,693 Seely June 11, 1895 796,468 Streeter Aug. 8, 19051,218,283 La Morte Mar. 6, 1917 1,507,652 Youngberg Sept. 9, 19241,683,364 Loucks Sept. 4, 1928 1,804,452 Barton May 12, 1931 1,997,939Loucks Apr. 16, 1935 2,017,911 Maske et a1 Oct. 22, 1935 2,026,117Balduf Dec. 31, 1935 2,160,345 Syak May 30, 1939 2,259,594 Venzie Oct.21, 1941 2,347,961 Olsen -May 2, 1944 2,485,090 Finch Oct. 18, 19492,499,278 Olsen Feb. 28, 1950

